Safe repatriation of Rohingyas the lone solution, says Junior Minister
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam. File photo.
The safe and dignified repatriation of the Rohingyas is the only sustainable solution to the current refugee crisis. To this end, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has emphasized the need to create a conducive environment for the Rohingyas to return to their homeland in Rakhine State of Myanmar.
The State Minister made these remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with a delegation from the international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegation was led by Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, the international president of MSF.
During the meeting, the MSF representatives briefed the State Minister on their ongoing humanitarian activities in the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar. These activities include outpatient and emergency medical services, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, maternal health care, sexual and reproductive health services, and mental health care.
The delegation also informed that a significant portion of these services is being extended to the local host communities in Cox's Bazar.
The State Minister praised MSF's medical and humanitarian assistance for both the Rohingya camps and the local population of Cox's Bazar. She also requested MSF's continued cooperation in keeping the Rohingya situation high on the international humanitarian agenda.
Meanwhile, Myanmar has recognized 308,975 of the nearly 1.2 million Rohingyas who have taken shelter in Bangladesh as residents of Rakhine State.
Recently, quoting the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, news agency Reuters reported that Myanmar would take back these verified Rohingyas if the security situation in Rakhine State improves.
According to Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of July 31, out of a list of 828,824 individuals sent from Bangladesh, 308,797 have been verified as residents of Rakhine. However, they claim that 4,241 individuals on the list are involved in terrorist activities. Additionally, Naypyidaw stated that the identities of another 113,507 individuals could not be verified.
More than 700,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh following a crackdown by Myanmar's security forces in 2017. Since then, a large number of Rohingyas have been living in camps in Cox's Bazar and other areas.
Meanwhile, clashes continue between Myanmar's military and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State. Myanmar has stated that due to the security situation, it is not currently possible to take back the Rohingyas.
Myanmar claims that the repatriation of Rohingyas is a bilateral issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Previously, in 2018 and 2019, the two countries made preparations for repatriation, but ultimately no Rohingya were able to return to Myanmar.
